The Boy with the Voice
by chloebeale
Summary: AU FTM!Beca. Beck Mitchell is an incoming freshman at Barden University. He doesn't care about college or classes or really anything except music. Within the first day, he's already developed a crush, made a new friend and worried entirely too much about what people think of him.
1. Chapter 1

He turned the key and pulled it out of the ignition, shoving the keys into his pocket as he slid out of the pickup truck. He circled the vehicle and pulled a few cardboard boxes out of the bed of the truck, carrying the stacked boxes in his strong arms while he left the parking lot to find his dorm building.

Beck wasn't looking forward to university, and the only reason he was even attending was because he was being forced to by his father, a professor here at Barden. He'd been lectured on the importance of education by both of his parents, actually, and he believed his father was conspiring against him with his mother, despite the divorce that separated them many years ago.

On his way to the building, he saw a guy his age in the backseat of someone's car. He was singing loudly and playing air guitar, and Beck couldn't help but manage a tiny smirk despite himself. It took a lot to get someone like him to crack a smile. He might've even chuckled when the car took off, sending the guy careening into the car seat in front of him. What a _dork._

He reached the dorm without too much difficulty, aided by a colored campus map he'd snagged on his way, tucking it into his back pocket as he continued on his way. When he found the correct building he ascended the stairs to the fourth floor, which was unfortunately where his room was located.

Beck was the first to arrive and he started to unpack his box before he settled onto the bed lazily. He wondered vaguely what his roommate would be like, and decided against going back out to get the rest of his stuff from his truck. He just wanted to get settled.

As his dark blue eyes began to droop with exhaustion, he heard the door open.

"Hey," a voice called out, and Beck sat up to greet its owner.

That's when he realized he knew this guy. He laughed.

"No way, air guitar guy's my roomie? What's up, man?" Beck asked him.

"Not much, bro, just bringing in some stuff, and thanking the university gods for not giving me some nerdy roomie," the guy admitted with a smile, sitting a few boxes on the floor by his bed, "I'm Jesse, by the way."

The kid actually extended his hand for a handshake. With a bemused grin, Beck didn't get up nor shake the hand offered to him. Handshakes made him uneasy, anyway, as he was always concerned that his grip wouldn't be firm enough and someone might notice.

"Beck," he responded coolly.

"Like the singer?"

The shorter guy rolled his eyes, like he hadn't heard that one before.

"No."

"Okay…" Jesse seemed to be taken aback by his rudeness, but Beck honestly didn't care what he thought, "What's your favorite movie, Beck?"

Beck shrugged.

"You have to have a favorite movie." He sounded genuinely bothered by the fact that Beck hadn't chosen something.

"Says who?" The sarcastic boy retorted.

Jesse sighed, obviously trying very hard here.

"Okay, fine, what's the last movie you saw?" he tried again.

"I don't know, I don't really like movies…"

"You don't like—how can you not like movies?!" Jesse gasped, pulling out a massive DVD collection from within his cardboard box, holding a few close to his chest like they were his children.

Beck never had been a huge movie buff. He'd seen a few, obviously, but never really cared much to see anything if he could help it.

"I get bored halfway through and turn it off." He explained with another shrug.

"The endings are the best part!" Jesse was getting mildly annoying now.

Beck ran a hand through his hair and adjusted one of the spikes in his ear, he had them gauged slightly and since it was a new thing for him, his ears were bothering him a little. They were itching more than anything. But it was totally worth it.

"Can I ask you something and you promise not to be offended?" His roommate prompted, leaving Beck nervous about what it was he was going to say.

He wondered if he was passing as male, or if Jesse had picked up on the fact that he was biologically female and was about to say something terrible to him. It had, after all, taken a lot of convincing to get the college board to allow him to have a roommate at all, but with a signed doctor's note and the promise that he was on hormones, he'd actually been able to do so. As his mom put it, all Beck wanted was a 'normal college experience.' He didn't want it to be ruined especially not on the very first day.

"Uh, I can't promise not to be offended if I don't know what you're gonna ask me," he finally replied honestly, not meeting Jesse's gaze.

Jesse nodded, "fair enough, I was just wondering if you were like, goth or emo or something, you know. With the piercings and the black nail polish and the way you dress, you look like you should be in a band," he noted.

Beck chuckled, "I don't identify as either of those things, or anything at all. I just like black, and I like the shit I wear, end of story. I was in a band back home, but quit so I could focus on my own music."

He wasn't sure why but moments later he was explaining to Jesse about how he wanted to be a DJ, and how much he loved making music. For the first time he seemed to find something in common with his roommate, who didn't want to DJ like he did, but at least had an interest in music too. Although Beck thought the idea of doing movie scores was a little dorky, he also had to admit it was kind of cool. With Jesse's obvious passion for film, he could see him doing something like that.

After bonding a little with Jesse (not that he would ever admit it to anyone), Beck was visited by his obnoxious father. In an effort to get away from him and an unavoidable pep talk, he excused himself to join Jesse at the activities fair, even though he wasn't remotely interested in joining any of the groups on campus.

He and Jesse looked around and he stopped at a promising DJ booth that disappointingly, turned out to be for Deaf Jews. Beck was walking with his roommate when he locked eyes with the only good-looking girl he'd seen since stepping on campus.

She was a redhead – he had a serious hard on for gingers, his last ex had been a redhead – and the bluest eyes he'd ever seen. Trying to be casual, Beck approached her booth, manned by the redhead and an uptight looking blonde girl.

"What are the Barden Bellas?" he asked, reading their sign.

"We're one of the four acapella groups on campus," the redhead explained with a smile.

"And the best," the blonde cut in.

"We're the tits," she shrugged as if that was a completely normal statement to make, "and we're looking for recruits."

"Females only."

"Right," Beck nodded, he'd only wanted an excuse to talk to the pretty girl, "well, I'm Beck, and you are?"

"Too busy for this!" The uptight one said briskly, walking off and shoving flyers at random girls that walked by, leaving Beck and the redhead alone. Jesse had wandered off somewhere in the distance.

"I'm Chloe," the redhead said finally, giving him the kind of grin that made him weak in the knees.

Beck grinned back at her, "it's nice to meet you, Chloe, I hope I'll see you around."

With a slight wave that he immediately regretted, Beck joined his roommate across the way, apparently watching and listening to one of the other acapella groups on campus. This group was apparently called the Trebles, he learned from the nerdy looking boy Jesse was talking to.

He listened to the guys sing their rendition of Whip It, honestly impressed by their voices despite how the leader (he assumed he was the leader, he was arrogant enough) sang with an expression on his face resembling that of someone passing gas.

Jesse joined in on the singing (who knew he could sing?) and grabbed some flyers, giving one to Beck. He wrinkled his nose at the idea and shoved the flyer deep into his pocket, something he forgot about until the next morning when he found it there.

He rolled his eyes when he found the flyer the next morning, crumpling it up and throwing it in the garbage on his way to class. Yeah, right, like he'd ever sing with a group of guys. It was one thing to be in a band, and it was an entirely different animal to sing without instruments with an entire group of males. The whole thing just sounded incredibly lame to him.

Beck was thankful when he found out that Jesse had earlier classes than he. That gave him alone time to get dressed, which was a lengthy process for him. As a transgender guy, he bound his chest every day to keep it flat, so no one would catch on and so that he could feel more comfortable in his body. Binders weren't easy to put on nor were they enjoyable to wear, but it was necessary to live his life. He also spent an unprecedented amount of time choosing his outfits, because half the time nothing ever looked right or masculine enough on his small frame.

He had to admit he'd bulked up a bit since starting testosterone but not as much as he'd hoped, and so he vowed to start going to the gym to work out between classes. He definitely had enough time to do so, but Beck had never really been the type for exercise. This would have to be an exception.

Once he was dressed for the morning in his jeans, t-shirt and layered plaid button up, he put on his sneakers and a beanie, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he made his way out the door. Beck hated school, and he didn't think college would be any different.

Classes were boring no matter what, he figured, and so he wasn't looking forward to attending them. More often than not, he decided, he probably wouldn't attend. Hopefully attendance wasn't mandatory, he'd heard that the policies were lax with some teachers, and hoped he was lucky enough to get those kinds of teachers. He was smart enough to get the material without attending anyway, if he did the work and reading outside of class, he'd be fine.

Just as expected, classes totally sucked. He had decided to skip Philosophy, which sucked the most, and was lying down for a nap when his father decided to drop by. Of course he got a lecture on how he should go to class and his father basically demanded that he join a campus group. Beck mentioned the radio station that he and Jesse had both started interning at, but his father didn't seem to think that was enough. He wasn't really listening until his dad admitted that if he tried this year and participated and did well, if he still wanted to go to LA next year, his father would actually help him do it.

Beck had wanted to move to LA to start his music career for years, and so this was what lit the fire under his butt. He was contemplating the different campus groups, wondering if maybe he could just convert to Judaism and pretend to be deaf, as he made his way to the gym to run on the treadmill.

He was thankful when he saw there was no one else in the room and Beck stepped onto the treadmill with his headphones on, probably looking ridiculous wearing oversize DJ headphones when he was supposed to be exercising. He started out at a brisk walking pace and sang along to the music playing on his iPod, since no one else was around.

He wasn't sure when she got there but he saw a flash of red that made him jump. Beck lost his footing and fell off the treadmill, cursing as he banged his knee against the exercise equipment. The girl immediately jumped to his aid and his cheeks burned when he realized this was the same girl from the acapella booth he'd met on his first day.

"Shit," he hissed, pulling his headphones down to his neck and inspecting his knee.

"Are you okay?" she asked, bending at his side and bringing her fingers gingerly to his leg, "Does this hurt?" she pushed down harder than he expected.

"Fu—no, no, it's fine," Beck played it off like it wasn't hurting as bad as it was, not wanting to look stupid in front of Chloe and wondering if she even remembered him.

"If you say so," Chloe smiled that infectious smile of hers, "your voice is really amazing."

"What do you mean?"

Shit. He'd been singing. She'd heard him singing.

"I love Titanium, it's my lady jam," Chloe referenced the specific song he'd been singing moments before his unfortunate treadmill accident, "and you sing it really well."

Beck shrugged, "if you say so."

"You should consider trying out for the acapella auditions tomorrow, I mean, I don't want to help out the competition, but you're obviously talented and I think you should share your gift with the world," even though what she was saying was goofy and ridiculous, Beck found himself agreeing.

Retiring from the gym to put ice on his now swollen knee, Beck said goodbye to the redhead, thinking about whether she was right. His father did say he should join a campus group, and from what he'd heard from Jesse, his friend was going to try out as well. He'd heard Jesse singing the same awful Kelly Clarkson song around the dorm several times, apparently this was the audition song.

Beck wasn't sure if he could bring himself to sing that song, though, and so he mostly blew off the idea until Friday right before auditions were coming to a close.

_I'll just sing something else,_ he told himself, trying to think of some way he could be creative and interesting, so that he could outweigh his obvious disadvantage with not performing the designated song.

He thought he was too late when he stepped onto the side of the stage, but Chloe waved him forward wearing an excited grin that he couldn't help but replicate.

Suddenly he was stealing the cup from her table (getting a glare from her blonde friend) and performing his rendition of Lulu & the Lampshades "You're Gonna Miss Me." Everyone seemed genuinely impressed with his audition, and the blonde must have been, too, because she looked like she'd been sucking on a lemon. She was probably pissed that someone as awesome as he was would be joining one of the opposing teams. And Chloe's blue eyes were trained on him the entire time, making him so nervous that he could barely concentrate. He could've swore that she was into him, but Beck told himself that if she knew the truth about him, she'd run away screaming just like the others had.

He didn't find out until later that he'd been accepted by the Trebles, the very same group Jesse had been inducted into. They had a ridiculous induction ceremony before most of them got ridiculously wasted. Most of the Trebles, it seemed, resided in a house together on campus complete with hot tub, and Beck learned that the leader with the gas face was apparently named Bumper. He didn't like him at all, but he couldn't deny that he was a good singer, and Beck thought maybe they would have a shot at winning competitions together.


	2. Chapter 2

Beck was pleased to discover that after induction, all of the inductees from each acapella group were brought together for the first time at what he considered the coolest and simultaneously the dorkiest party ever. The four groups scattered across the outdoor stadium, the sky black above them as they blasted their music and drank from the kegs set up near the bottom.

Everyone seemed to be having a good time, he thought, except the bitchy blonde from the Bellas, who was scowling at all the Trebles every single chance she got. Despite her friend's glares, Beck approached Chloe, giving her a half smile.

"Well if it isn't my favorite Bella," he greeted, causing her to break out into a grin.

She stepped forward, grabbing the bottom of his shirt playfully.

"And the only decent Treble," Chloe murmured, looking into his eyes, "it's a pity you couldn't have joined the High Notes or the BU Harmonics, we could've had some fun together."

He raised his eyebrows, "who says we can't now?"

Chloe gestured across the way to the blonde, "Aubrey, she has this thing where it's in the Bellas rules that we're not allowed to be with a Treble," she sighs like she thinks it's the stupidest rule ever, "and Aubrey's my best friend, I'm not just going to defy her like that."

Despite Chloe's insistence that they couldn't do anything, Beck was still excited by her words. She'd basically outright admitted she was into him, and that if it wasn't for Aubrey, she'd go for him. That was a first; actually, as Beck hadn't really been with anyone since he'd realized he was transgender. It was a lot for someone to process. Of course, Chloe didn't know and he wasn't sure how she'd feel if she did know, but just knowing inside that he passed completely and that she actually genuinely liked him made him feel unbelievably happy.

"At least let me get you a drink, no harm in that, right?" Beck offered.

She shrugged, dancing a little too closely to him, not that he minded, "this ginger needs her jiggle juice!"

Laughing he made his way down to the beverages, snagging them each cups and joining her again near the top of the stairs. Beck could feel Aubrey's gaze on him but he tried to ignore it. Instead he handed Chloe the plastic cup of beer and she thanked him, immediately downing it in an impressive time.

"Thirsty?"

Chloe nodded, "A little. Come dance with me!"

He didn't have the ability to fight her as she pulled him down with everyone else, a gigantic mass of bodies dancing to the techno song pumping out of the speakers. Beck tried to loosen up a little bit even though he didn't normally dance, and he probably looked like a total tool.

"Chloe, can I talk to you for a minute?" Aubrey interrupted while squinting her eyes mirthfully at Beck and pulling Chloe away from him.

He couldn't hear their voices over the music, but Aubrey looked pretty angry. Her eyebrows were knit together seriously and her mouth was opening too widely for normal talking, plus her forehead was doing this unattractive crinkling thing as she yelled. Chloe stood there with crossed arms, looking like a bitter teenager being scolded. She might have actually rolled her eyes.

After the lecture was seemingly over, Beck was thankful when Chloe made her way back to him.

"I gotta go," is not what he expected to come out of her mouth.

"What? Why?" he asked, disappointed that she was leaving already and wondering if Aubrey's words and chastisement had actually gotten to her.

Chloe gave him an apologetic smile and a kiss on the cheek before running off up the stairs after a group of girls he assumed were in the Bellas with her. He sighed as he watched her leave, her body getting smaller and smaller as she faded away into the distance. Concentrating on Chloe's absence left him a little out of it and Beck jumped a bit when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He spun around without thinking, raising his hands like a ninja about to strike.

"Whoa, cool it," Jesse held up his hands in defeat before Beck relaxed, "Tough break, man," he commented in reference to what he'd just witnessed.

"Yeah," Beck muttered, finishing his beer and pouring another, not bothering to wipe the foam that had settled onto the top of his lips. It wasn't like he had anyone to impress.

His roommate patted his shoulder before awkwardly withdrawing his hand.

"You two were like destined to be together man, you're an acapella boy and she's an acapella girl, you're gonna have acachildren, it's inevitable," he explained, obviously quite drunk, "sure, it's not going to be easy but you'll win her, right, like John Cusack in Say Anything, you could stand outside her window with a boom box and win her heart!"

"No one uses boom boxes anymore," was all Beck could say.

"Fine, then, your iPhone. Point is, man, any girl worth being with is worth fighting for! Am I right or am I drunk?" Jesse laughed.

Beck chuckled lightly. "Maybe both."

After the party drew to a close, Beck and Jesse returned to their room. It didn't take long for his roommate to pass out in bed, giving Beck some much needed time to himself. He got on his Macbook and slid his headphones over his ears, hunching over in the most comfortable position as he worked on tying the two tracks together.

He had heard some interesting songs tonight and thought they'd sound nice together in one of his mixes. When Beck had an idea he couldn't rest until he carried it out, and so he spent the next thirty minutes interlacing the songs until they sounded perfect. He shut off his computer and curled up in bed, thoughts about a certain redhead leading to some very pleasant dreams.

The next day was the start of practice, something Beck was dreading more than anything. Bumper ran rehearsal like the Bumper Show, everything was always about him and he didn't spend much time focusing on what mattered. Beck wondered how it was they managed to win the past several years without the dedication he imagined they would have.

But they did sound pretty dope together singing Don't Stop the Music, and the choreography flowed effortlessly. They only got better the more they practiced, too, and he knew that they'd kick ass at sectionals. He wondered vaguely what the Bellas were doing, secretly hoping he'd run into Chloe again, whom he hadn't seen since that night.

Classes were whatever, he thought, attending some and ditching others, but still managing to do well on all of his assigned work. Beck spent his time out of class and rehearsals sleeping and working on mixes, as well as doing his required work at the radio station where he was interning. The guy who ran it was an arrogant asshole, but he'd grown used to being bossed around, being sent for lunches and stacking an atrocious number of CDs. Because he thought this would be a good experience for him, or so he hoped.

The day of sectionals snuck up on him and he found himself growing nervous for his first public performance with the group. Something about acapella singing made Beck feel much more vulnerable than performing with a band.

But everything went just as well as in rehearsals, if not better. The crowd loved them and even Beck enjoyed the sound and sight of screaming girls. He got so into it at one point that he touched some girl's hand and he swore she almost fainted. It was like being in a boy band or something.

After their performance, the Trebles got to sit back and watch the others. Beck watched raptly as the Bellas performed. They sounded good, that was a given, but their routine was boring and tired. He liked Chloe's bit—he thought she had a better voice than Aubrey—but the entire thing was lacking substance. There was nothing cool about it, he thought as he looked around and observed the audience, who looked even more displeased with their set than he did.

He wasn't sure why he cared so much, but Beck approached the Bellas after sectionals, giving them what he thought was friendly advice. He told them that they should try to use updated songs, including those made famous by males, and that maybe their set would be more enjoyable. He tried to stick some positives in there, too, though, complimenting Chloe's voice and offering the girl with the large breasts a wan smile. But Aubrey didn't take it well at all.

"Aca-scuse me? What gives you the right to tell the Bellas what to do? Why should we take advice from you? This is probably a tactic; a plan of Bumper's to throw us off. Well it's not going to work, so you can go crawl back to your little dirt balls and we'll see you at the Riff-Off, where we will undoubtedly own your ass!" Aubrey was fired up and Beck just grinned at her.

"It's a cute ass," the large chested girl behind Aubrey commented, looking over at Beck's behind.

His jaw clenched a bit and he mumbled a thank you, repeating to Aubrey that he wasn't trying to screw with her, but that he was genuinely trying to help. There was no use trying, though, because she didn't believe him. The look of surprise and adoration that Chloe gave him was almost worth it.

The Riff-Off, it turned out, was almost akin to a rap battle. The four acapella groups (although to be honest, only two were worth a shit) met in a drained pool to duke it out for a lame microphone used by Hoobastank. Hoobastank wasn't even a good band and Beck didn't really give a shit about the mic. Winning the Riff-Off was more for bragging rights than anything else.

The first category was 80s females which wasn't something Beck knew, but Bumper jumped right in with Mickey. He sang along, feeling like a total douche singing this song, and actually thankful when the BU Harmonics jumped in to sing their rendition of Like a Virgin.

By the time the next category rolled around, they were singing about sex. At least this was something he knew about.

The Bellas started an impressive version of S&M, and Donald cut them off with Let's Talk about Sex, which was predictable. It was Jesse who eventually jumped in singing Feels like the First Time, a goofy grin on his face due to his excitement about being able to contribute.

The Bellas cut Jesse off, though, Chloe starting to sing Britney Spears' If U Seek Amy, her counterpart the large-bodied woman whose name actually was Amy, seemingly pleased by the song choice. It was when they were more than halfway through the song and it seemed like the Trebles were going to lose that Beck got his idea.

He stepped forward and interrupted this line "I've seen her once or twice before she knows my face, but it's—"

"It's going down fade to Blackstreet, the homies got at me, collab creations funk like acne…"

The Bellas looked impressed and surprised at the song choice, and Aubrey especially didn't seem to recognize the song. But Beck spit it out with precision as the Trebles backed him, grinning over at Chloe triumphantly as they rounded out the song.

"We out," Beck said, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.

The Trebles won the microphone, thanks to him, and as Chloe came over to begrudgingly congratulate them, her hand lingered on his for a moment. He felt electricity coursing through his body and as he was about to ask her if maybe she'd like to get coffee sometime, she was dropping his hand and stalking off with the other girls.

Beck sighed, being pulled into a celebratory Treble pile that was more gay than not.

That night he had trouble sleeping, still thinking about Chloe's insistence that they couldn't be together. It hadn't seemed like such a big deal until Aubrey came between them quite literally, tearing Chloe away from their dancing. He'd been having such a good time, too. It wasn't often Beck found someone he could vibe with, someone who made him smile and break out of his antisocial shell the way Chloe had. But it didn't matter if she wouldn't see him. Aubrey would make sure of that.

That's why he was so surprised by the event of the next morning.

Beck had been lifting weights when he saw her, the petite redhead walking quickly into the gym. He put down the weights as she approached him.

"Good mo—"

He wasn't even able to get the words out before she slid onto his lap and curled her arms around his neck, giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"What was that for?" he asked when she pulled away.

"I had to kiss you after seeing you rap last night. No Diggity's like one of my favorite songs of all time," Chloe was still seated on his lap, "Remember what I said the other day about not defying Aubrey?"

Beck nodded, wondering if she'd changed her mind. It seemed that she had, if she was going around kissing him like this. Not that he minded.

"Well, I've decided I don't give a shit what Aubrey thinks, it's my last year on the Bellas and she's my best friend, it's not like she's going to kick ME off the team," she reasoned, her fingers sliding across his hairline on the back of his neck, "I like you, and she's just going to have to get over it."

Beck smiled, his hands awkwardly settling to her waist as he looked into Chloe's eyes, trying to figure out if she was being serious.

She was.

"I like you too, Chloe," he murmured.

"Well, duh," she teased, pulling him in for another kiss.

Someone else walked into the gym and looked over at them, causing Beck to push Chloe gently from his lap. He apologized under his breath and asked her to meet him at his room later. She agreed, squeezing his hand excitedly before she hurried away.

Beck finished the rest of his workout with a smile on his lips. He didn't let it all sink in until his shower, looking down at his body and remembering what he'd been trying to forget. He wasn't quite a normal guy, and Chloe was under the impression he was…how far could he take things with her before she figured it out?

He had to tell her that he was transgender, but he was at a complete loss as to how. He was afraid more than anything of scaring her away. Because now she was willing to be with him, what if the news that he wasn't quite like other guys sent her running back into Aubrey's arms?

He sighed, getting dressed and walking leisurely back to the dorm with a lot on his mind. Beck liked her a lot already, and if he allowed this to escalate any further, his feelings would only grow more serious. He owed himself and Chloe the truth.


	3. Chapter 3

Beck had been waiting for quite some time for Chloe to meet him at his dorm. He'd managed to convince Jesse to go out; reminding him of the film festival going on at the local theater, and the movie buff was out of his way. But it had been a few hours since Beck had asked Chloe to come by the dorm and he was beginning to think she had changed her mind.

Just when he was about to give up and go to bed, Chloe stepped into the dorm without knocking, giving Beck a smile that knocked the wind out of him.

"Hey," she greeted, her eyes trained onto him as she took a seat on his bed.

"Hey, I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show," Beck admitted.

"Why do you always…" Chloe began, sliding her fingers between his, "…assume the worst?"

Beck sighed at the accuracy of her statement. He couldn't help but always think the worst, assuming that everyone would grow to hate him and that everyone would leave him the way his father had. It was natural for him to pull away from everyone.

"Habit, I guess."

"You can trust me," the redhead said quietly, her lips meeting his temple, "I care about you."

It was a little startling hearing that, when in fact he hadn't known Chloe very long at all. Sure, he liked her quite a bit, but the way she looked at him and spoke to him seemed genuine. As much as he thought this would excite him, he was more frightened by the prospect of someone liking him this much.

"Okay," Beck lowered his voice, taking a deep breath as he prepared to be honest with her, "If you really mean that, there's something I need to tell you…about me."

Chloe nodded, not letting go of his hand but silently willing him to continue.

Nervously he wiggled his fingers against her, chuckling lightly as his heartbeat sped up.

"I'm trans…gender. I was born biologically female, but I've lived as male since I was twelve, and I'm on hormones, I bind my chest every day and I…" he trailed off, noticing her overwhelmed expression, "sorry if that's a lot, but you deserve to know who you're kissing, or whatever, and if it bothers you, this is your chance to run."

There was a long silence between them, Chloe gazing at Beck before she tightened her hold on his hand. She licked her lips and took a breath.

"I'm not going to run," she began, "but that's a lot to just throw at someone. I don't know what—what any of that really means, but I do know you're different than any guy I've ever met," when his face fell, she amended her statement, "in a good way."

Beck smiled, wondering what he'd done to deserve a girl like Chloe in his life. He'd really expected her to leave, just like every other girl he'd ever liked, just like his father had. He still believed his coming out was part of why his dad left them, despite what his mother tried to say otherwise. It was just too much for most people to handle.

"Do you have questions? I'll answer anything you wanna know," he offered once he caught his breath.

Chloe thought about it for a moment before answering.

"Isn't it hard for you? Having to hide who you are? I can't imagine all the things you have to deal with, or how difficult it must be just to be treated normally," she murmured, "does anyone else know?"

Beck shook his head, explaining that the only ones who knew were the staff of the university, the admissions department, his professors. Other than that, no one here at Barden knew he was trans.

"I'm afraid it would change the way people thought of me," he explained, not meeting Chloe's eyes.

"It changed the way I thought of you," she admitted, and he looked up before she continued, "you're so much stronger and more amazing than I ever thought possible."

She let go of his hand only to bring her fingers across his cheek, brushing against his soft stubble found there. She smiled, leaning forward and giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Do you mean that?" Beck whispered.

"Of course," Chloe responded, "I don't say things I don't mean."

"Well, to answer your question, it is hard sometimes, not being honest with people. But it's safer that way. Not everyone would be as understanding as you."

"They're ignorant."

"They might be, but…they represent the dominant mindset of the area, because, well, if you haven't noticed, we're in Georgia. It's the South. People here aren't really known for their liberal mindset," Beck laughed bitterly.

"I guess that makes sense. I'm not from here though, I'm from Florida, it's a little more moderate there than anything. Where are you from?" Chloe asked curiously.

"Portland, Oregon, it's a lot more open-minded than Atlanta."

"Why did you come here then?" she queried, correcting herself right after, "not that I'm not glad you did." The girl's hand settled onto Beck's knee.

He sighed, "It's a long story. My dad's a professor here, and it's a free education. I wasn't really in any position to say no."

Chloe nodded in understanding, squeezing his knee before leaning in again. He didn't give her a chance though, curling his arms around her and swooping in for a kiss. She giggled lightly when they pulled away.

"I was just thinking about how I'd never kissed you, it was always the other way around," Beck mused.

"You can kiss me anytime."

"Be careful, I might just take you up on that!"

The two of them settled into his bed together, opting to watch a movie as an excuse to spend more time together. Chloe kept asking him questions about being transgender, having him explain what it was like to bind his chest, how he chose his name and whether it was painful doing his testosterone shot. She even expressed interest in helping him with that, which he argued against, saying he'd rather do it himself. She sighed, leaning against his chest.

Beck flinched when her hand drifted beneath the hem of his shirt.

"Can you show me your binder?" Chloe asked innocently.

He pulled away, leaning up and shoving her hand away.

"I—I'm sorry, but I can't. It's too personal and I just…" Beck looked so devastated that Chloe didn't have a chance to be.

She nodded, sitting up on the bed and slipping her shoes back on.

"I understand," Chloe glanced at the clock, "it's late, I should probably get back. Aubrey's going to be wondering where I am."

"Right."

"Bye," the redhead spoke as she stood up, resting her hand on Beck's head hesitantly before leaning down to kiss it, "I'll see you."

"Yeah," Beck responded, watching her leave.

Once she was gone, he changed into his pajamas, relieved to finally take off his binder after a long day. He pulled the covers up over his body and tried to go to sleep, thinking about how he might've just hurt Chloe's feelings. He couldn't help but be a little squeamish about things like that, especially since he hadn't known Chloe for very long. His crush on her didn't change the fact that he didn't know her well, despite wanting the opposite.

Eventually he fell asleep, unaware as to what was awaiting him at tomorrow's rehearsal.

It seemed like a normal day as he headed to the rehearsal space, but Beck noticed the way his teammates, namely Bumper, were looking at him.

"Take a seat," the leader spoke, serious for the first time ever as he gestured to a chair beside of where he was standing.

Nervously Beck obeyed, taking a seat and looking up at Bumper.

"You've been keeping something from us, haven't you?" Bumper asked.

"I…" there was only one thing he could mean.

"Beck here isn't actually a dude," he continued, "He's been pretending to be one the whole time. Why is that, huh? Are you spying on us?"

"N-no, I'm not, I'm transgender, and I—please don't do this," Beck pleaded.

Bumper laughed mirthfully, not believing him, "The Trebles is a guys only acapella group. Unless you can prove to me you're one hundred percent male, you're kicked out of the group."

Beck wondered how Bumper could've possibly found out. No one knew except Chloe. He had trusted her, but she must've said something to someone. He looked down at the floor, fighting back tears. He knew he couldn't prove anything.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to lie to you guys, but what I said was true. I'm transgender, and I'm taking hormones, and the university allowed me to stay in the guys' dorm and no one was supposed to know," Beck bit his lip, "I'll go. I'm sorry."

He stood up and grabbed his backpack, rushing out of the group to leave Bumper and the others there to discuss what had just happened.

"How'd you find out she wasn't a dude?" Donald asked, not having been informed about the situation until now.

Jesse sighed, holding up Beck's license, "Beck dropped this in our dorm. When I saw it, I couldn't believe it…and I showed Bumper," it was obvious he regret saying something, not agreeing with Bumper's decision to kick him out and feeling very guilty for outing him.

"You could get a single if you want to file a complaint, you know," Bumper added, referring to their roommate situation.

Shaking his head, Jesse disagreed, "I don't have a problem with him," he pocketed the ID, "but if you guys do, then I'm out."

Without another word he left the speechless Trebles.

Meanwhile, Beck had taken it upon himself him to confront Chloe, whom he believed had told his secret. He knew where their practice space was and so he tried there first, but it was empty, so he dropped by her dorm room.

He knocked loudly, trying to calm himself as he clenched and unclenched his fists waiting for Chloe to answer the door. She opened the door and gave him a smile.

"Beck, hi, I didn't know you were dropping by," she stepped outside and closed the door, "Aubrey's inside, so I really can't talk right now."

Aubrey couldn't know about their relationship, or whatever it had been, but Beck wasn't concerned, since he was pretty intent on ending it now anyway.

"Did you tell someone about what I told you?" he accused, his voice full of bitterness.

"What? No, of course not," Chloe couldn't believe he'd ask her that.

"Well, Bumper and the guys found out, and they kicked me out of the Trebles."

"Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry…" she leaned up to touch his arm but he pulled away from her touch.

Beck's eyes dropped to the floor, "It's fine, I don't even care. Just please don't say anything to anyone else, I can't risk having the shit beat out of me."

"I didn't tell anyone!" Chloe argued, crossing her arms to her chest, "I swear! I didn't even tell Aubrey. It's no one's business, Beck. I would never do that to you."

He almost believed her.

"Yeah. I'll see you around."


End file.
